Spanish Woman Gang-Raped in India Says "No Regrets"

Attacked by Intruder While Camping in a Tent with Husband
"Accidents Can Happen Anywhere... Will Leave Again"

A Spanish woman who was gang-raped by assailants while traveling in India with her husband stated, "I do not regret traveling to India" and added, "We are taking a short break but will continue traveling."

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) interviewed and reported on influencer couple Vicente (63) and Fernanda (28), who have been sharing their motorcycle travels around the world on social media for years. The couple was attacked by assailants while camping in the Dumka region of Jharkhand, India, on the night of the 1st. Eight assailants assaulted the couple, sexually assaulted Fernanda, stole their money, and fled. Currently, three suspects have been arrested, and the remaining five are being pursued.

Vicente and Fernanda couple who visited the Taj Mahal last January [Image source= Instagram vueltaalmundoenmoto capture]

Immediately after the incident, the couple posted a video on social media to inform others about the unfortunate event that happened to them. In the video, Fernanda said, "Something no one wants happened to us," and "Seven men raped me. We are with the police at the hospital." It is known that they had started their journey from Spain several months ago and were traveling through India.

The two are currently back in Spain resting. Fernanda explained the reason for camping in a sparsely populated area at the time: "India is a country with people living everywhere and a very large population. They showed a lot of interest in the way we travel by motorcycle. Every time we stopped, many people gathered, sometimes to the point of discomfort. So we mainly looked for places where there were no people." Vicente added, "We have always camped like this, and the place where we camped that night was not that remote. We saw some farmers passing through the fields early in the morning, and it was only about 500 to 600 meters from the highway."

When asked if she had any advice for women considering traveling to India following this incident, Fernanda said, "People seem to want me to say 'Don't go to India.' But life is much more complicated than that," and added, "What happened to me in India could happen anywhere else." She continued, "I want to advise women to 'leave home and travel without fear,' but if camping, stay not too far from roads where you can easily ask for help and receive cellphone signals." She also said, "We do not regret going to India," and "Accidents can happen anywhere, including inside a safe home."

When asked if she would stop traveling, Fernanda replied, "Not at all. We are just taking a short break in Spain," and "I am confident that we will continue traveling sometime, and we have already started planning." Vicente added, "Our motorcycle is currently in Nepal. After returning to Nepal, we plan to travel through China, Laos, Cambodia, and up to Tibet," and "Then we want to spend 3 to 4 months in Thailand before going to Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand." He also revealed plans to visit South Korea. Vicente said, "We will travel through Japan, South Korea, Russia, Mongolia, and Central Asia, then return briefly to Europe before traveling across the entire African continent," and "Our plan is to keep riding for the rest of our lives."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.